Sooke Harbour House

The Sooke Harbour House is an inn and restaurant located in Sooke, British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.[1][2] It was one of the first restaurants to devote itself to local foods, having done so since 1979. It serves what is now called "West Coast Canadian Cuisine." This cuisine draws inspiration from the foods of the indigenous peoples of the region, the sea, and farmed products from within roughly 25 miles of the inn.

The exterior of the Sooke Harbour House.
A 2003 photo of Sinclair Philip in the cellar of the Sooke Harbour House. The cellar again in 2009 holds the Wine Spectator Grand Award, one of about 85 in the world. Focus has shifted to wines of the Cascadia region.

The Sooke Harbour House has been owned by Frederique and Sinclair Philip since 1979. Sinclair Philip is the Canadian representative to Slow Food in Italy and some years ago was a Slow Food Vancouver Island Convivium leader. Mr. Philip has a doctorate in political economics from the University of Grenoble in France. The head chef of the restaurant for nearly 15 years was Edward Tuson (he has recently opened his own property in Sooke called Black Market Meats). The head gardener of the kitchen gardens for over 13 years was Byron Cook.[3] The kitchen team was for a time under Sam Benedetto (now Executive Chef at Zambri's) and then Robin Jackson took the lead role. The restaurant's chef now is Oliver Kienast. In 2000, a writer for The New York Times called the Sooke Harbour House "one of Canada's half-dozen best restaurants".[4]

In May 2012, The Sooke Harbour House was put up for sale at $5.9 million.[5] The Philips cited financial pressure from a decline in the tourism industry, along with stress, as the reasons for putting the inn up for sale. It ultimately did not sell.[6][7] In 2015, it was reported that the Business Development Bank of Canada initiated a foreclosure action against the inn for owing $2.9 million on a mortgage from 1997.[6] Denying that they were in foreclosure,[8] the Philips eventually agreed with new investors to sell the property, pay back the mortgage, and begin expanding the property.[6][9] However, this led to protracted legal battles between the Philips and the investors. Timothy Durkin, the investor, sued Frederique and Sinclair Philip for control of the business, which resulted in an interim order from a judge to the Philips to "immediately quit and leave the business premises".[10] Amidst the ongoing legal battle for ownership, the Sooke Harbour House was put up for sale for $5.63 million in April 2020 as part of a foreclosure sale ordered by the courts.[11][12] In June of that year, it was announced that real estate company IAG Enterprises would purchase the property for $5.6 million. IAG chief operating officer Alex Watson noted that the company wants to reopen Sooke Harbour House in 2021, after renovating different areas of the site.[13][14]

References
  1. Robinson, Kathryn; Lives, Who (July 23, 1989). "Order of the Day at This Inn: Relax". The New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  2. "Sooke Harbour House: Vancouver Island The leading edge World-class restaurant's distinctive features can be emulated in Ontario". Toronto Star. October 28, 1987. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  3. Apple Jr., R. W. (August 30, 2000). "An Escape to Eden On Vancouver Island". The New York Times. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  4. Jr, R. W. Apple (2000-08-30). "An Escape to Eden On Vancouver Island". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  5. "Photos: Sooke Harbour House up for sale for $5.9 million". Vancouver Sun. 2012-06-07. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  6. Wilson, Carla (2015-06-19). "Sooke Harbour House adds investors, paying off debt; plans expansion". Times Colonist. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  7. Raits, Pirjo (2012-05-29). "Selling inn not an easy decision". Sooke News Mirror. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  8. Raits, Pirjo (2015-06-19). "Foreclosure not in the plans for Sooke Harbour House". Sooke News Mirror. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  9. Wilson, Carla (2016-08-20). "Investors close to buying Sooke Harbour House and hotel". Times Colonist. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  10. Proctor, Jason (2018-11-02). "Man fighting for ownership of renowned Sooke Harbour House hotel accused in U.S. Ponzi scheme". CBC. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  11. "Historic Sooke resort listed for $5.6M in court-ordered sale". Vancouver Island CTV News. 2020-04-20. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  12. Wilson, Carla (2020-04-22). "Sooke Harbour House for sale amid legal wrangling". Times Colonist. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  13. Wilson, Carla (2020-06-28). "B.C. company to buy Sooke Harbour House for $5.6M". Times Colonist. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  14. Guillen, Aaron (2020-07-30). "New owners of Sooke Harbour House aim for fall 2021 re-opening". Victoria News. Retrieved 2020-08-14.

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